For all help and discussion relating to visual effects in programs that are not already covered in an existing forum, such as Blender, Particle Illusion, etc., along with discussion about effects theories and techniques.

I've been browsing a few tutorials, and it seems as if even the most commonly used effects (like taking a character/object from one scene and superimposing them over another) requires the use of Adobe After Effects. This might seem like an idiotic question, but since I don't currently have the program, just how vital is it to making an AMV that uses effects?

Also, if I did manage to get a hold of AE, when exactly am I supposed to use it? Do I use it on the source clips, or do I import my 'bare' AMV into the program and work from there?

Well, the question is kind of impossible to answer, because it all comes down to what you actually WANT to do with you video. Notice I put emphasis on WANT because you should never feel like you NEED to do anything in your video. If you can tell the story you want to tell with just straight cuts, do it. But if you have something you want to do in your video to make your story/mood/atmosphere/joke/whatever work that you can't accomplish in your editing program, THEN something like After Effects should be considered. As for how vital it is to do this "extra" stuff, it depends on the program you're using. I haven't personally used Sony Vegas (I use Adobe Premiere) but I know that it has a lot of features that some would use AE for. Likewise goes for Premiere. It's gonna be on a case by case basis.

As for when you use it, usually bringing in specific clips and affecting them in AE is the better option, but again, it depends on what you're doing.